AIDS 2012 and HRSA

With the approach of the AIDS 2012Exit Disclaimer conference, I have been thinking about the ways this landmark event will be important to HRSA’s stakeholder community. I want to highlight three of them:Understanding New Science: AIDS 2012 provides the scientific forum for the exchange of the latest advances in the delivery of HIV care and treatment. Attendees (and those who participate virtually) will hear about successful medical care and psychosocial tools that have a positive health impact on people living with HIV/AIDS.

For those who deliver or receive HIV related services through the Ryan White Program, the conference provides the opportunity to enhance HIV knowledge, exchange best practices and become aware of arising HIV related topics. This will ultimately assist us with ensuring the highest quality of care provided to our clients by our Ryan White grantees. HRSA's stakeholders can expect to learn from each other about what has worked in other parts of the country but also about what has worked in resource-limited settings that could be adapted and piloted in their programs. New science will inform the Ryan White Program as we continue to provide HIV-related services to more than half a million people each year. Science is the cornerstone of our progress and will support our work in moving toward the goal of an AIDS-free generation that Secretary Clinton has outlinedExit Disclaimer.

Energizing Our Response: AIDS 2012 provides an opportunity to re-energize our grantees, our stakeholder community and our Federal staff. All of our efforts to address the needs of people living with HIV/AIDS are central to the goal of creating an AIDS free generation. At no other time do we witness such an extensive gathering of diverse individuals and organizations that assemble with a common vision: to end the epidemic of HIV throughout the world.

Sharing What Works: By hosting the conference in the United States, we have the opportunity to share best practices with representatives across the globe and illustrate the immense strides that our country is making in regards to HIV/AIDS.

The Ryan White Program has a history of success and ongoing effort to meet the challenges of a changing epidemic. The Program and the global collaborations of the Health Resources and Services Administration will be represented at AIDS 2012. HIV/AIDS Bureau staff and many Ryan White grantees will present in multiple sessions. Here are a few of these sessions:

July 22:

• Achieving the Goals of the U.S. National HIV/AIDS Strategy: Future Directions (satellite session)

July 24:

• PEPFAR Pre-Service Training: The Medical and Nursing Education Partnership Initiatives (satellite session)
• Lessons Learned in Transitioning the ART Track 1.0 Program Administered by HRSA (poster session)
• Solving the Problem of Different Individuals Sharing Unique Identifier in the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program Client-Level Data Set (poster session)

July 25:

• The PEPFAR Medical Education Partnership Initiative: Strengthening Human Resources for Health (poster session)
• Getting to Six Million: Lessons from the Track 1.0 PEPFAR Treatment Partners (workshop)

More detail on these sessions is available in the AIDS 2012 Program at a GlanceExit Disclaimer. I encourage all stakeholders to follow the conference at https://aids.gov/AIDS2012.

Let us join together to use the insights from the conference to inform our work, energize our response and share what works best for those we serve. With this experience and our continued collaboration, we can move toward an AIDS-free generation.